I gotta wonder how many shark "nips", bites, or full blown attacks occur just after the "object of the shark's affection" took a whiz in the water? We're smart enough not to go swimming when bleeding, but a shark expert told me that urine attracts them as much as or better than blood. Might be another reason to take shore breaks a little more often.

Last time an actual person (not board, not turtle) was bitten at Kanaha in anyone's memory was 97. For Hookipa it's longer than that - no one remembers. How many "surf-hours" in all that time is hard to estimate, but a rough calculation just for Hookipa = 200 surfers/windsurfer per day * 356 * 1 hour average session * 15 years = over 1 million surf hours since last shark bite. So if you spend 2 hours surfing or windsurfing every single day here, you should expect about 1500 years between shark bites to yourself, more or less. Likely something else would bite you first.

That's just the kind of information I need.
Oh Well I guess I should sell my Wetsuits then.
For Sale Several "Slightly peed in Suits" hmm should I make the buyer sign a waiver so they can't sue me after the shark attacks my scent.

I must point out that the odds of being bitten today and then bitten again
tomorrow, are exactly the same, you can't deduce that because you
were bitten today, that it will be 1500 years before you are bitten again.

Yup, the odds of being bitten are considerably less likely than dieing
in a car crash, or stuffing mambas in you pocket, but that doesn't
preclude them. I typically don't think too much about it when I'm out
at Kanaha, at least not until I've been thrashing around in the water for
a few minutes after being munched (by a wave).

I guess what I'm saying is if ya wants yur waves, then ya takes yur
chances. Denying that the land lord is out there doesn't cause him to
vanish. Worrying about it (or not) is your prerogative.

-Craig

bjamin wrote:

Last time an actual person (not board, not turtle) was bitten at Kanaha in anyone's memory was 97. For Hookipa it's longer than that - no one remembers. How many "surf-hours" in all that time is hard to estimate, but a rough calculation just for Hookipa = 200 surfers/windsurfer per day * 356 * 1 hour average session * 15 years = over 1 million surf hours since last shark bite. So if you spend 2 hours surfing or windsurfing every single day here, you should expect about 1500 years between shark bites to yourself, more or less. Likely something else would bite you first.

I don't pee in my wetsuit while sailing...it doesn't get rinsed enough. Surfing is another thing. I save my morning coffee pee for the first paddle out. The warmth offsets the cold shock of that first duck dive. Ahhhh....cozy!_________________/w\

Pretty sure it was an actual shark bite - and it turns out to be in 2000. Everyone here remembers it as such. And there's a very detailed eye witness account right here on iWindsurf in fact

As I recall, he had sailed way out past the break and then dropped in the water and spent considerable time adjusting his boom or something. Hard to get a reef cut that way which in turn is hard to mistake with a shark. And the dude got a ton of stitches on his calf as a result. There was a lot of blood in the water. Still the shark did nothing else.

ANd going that long w/o another real attack between Kanaha, Sprecks, Hookipa says the chances are of such are real slim. Yes past results cannot absolutely predict future events and the world might end on 12/21/12 and the NY Jets might win the Super Bowl. But I wouldn't count on it.

Besides windsurfers have little to worry about. Surfing is a different matter but even so not much more. And I bet nearly every surfer here is taking a leak in the water at some point during an hour+ session. If that's attracting any sharks (as opposed to scaring them off) then Hookipa and north shore Oaha should be a blood bath every day. Taking a leak when surfing is one thing. When windsurfing (and especially in a wet suit) just get your butt to the shore - it's not that hard.

One last note - the recent attacks at Kanaha have drawn a lot of attention. A SUP board and a turtle were bitten within a week. I and a few others clearly saw a shark swimming outside lowers not long after. My impression is there are always sharks out there every single day. That custom SUP was bitten early in the morning and IMO had graphics that could attract or confuse a shark - highly contrasting colors - bright white with florescent orange in sharply edged stripes and blocky patterns. It's long been recommended to avoid highly contrasting bright colors when in sharky waters. As for the turtle, they are in fact on the sharks regular everyday menu (though that's rarely observed). That fact that it happened right in front of uppers freaked everyone out. People were in the water at the same time and helped chase away the shark. The turtle survived. Also the SUP dude fell right on the shark and pushed it away with his hands. No one was bitten in either incident. We've had maybe four other bites on Maui in the past year and at least three involved people wearing fins in deep water who were bitten on the foot/fin. Black fins look a lot like seals. Sharks eat seals.

p.s. I "heard" they had to put that turtle down.
p.p.s. There's way more chance of injury from the turtles than from a shark, just because they're all over the place. Smacking one could definitely put a cramp in your joy.

bjamin wrote:

We've had maybe four other bites on Maui in the past year and at least three involved people wearing fins in deep water who were bitten on the foot/fin. Black fins look a lot like seals. Sharks eat seals.

The problem with shark reports is the idea that if others believe it it's true, then it's true.
Every attack on Maui has been called a tiger shark not because they have a shark to examine, but because everyone knows tigers are aggressive.
Every shark is huge too, for the same reason.
That attack on the French guy must have been a shark because there was blood in the water and folks on the beach who saw no creature said it must have been a shark.
A huge tiger shark.
The doctor who treated him said that it was the worst coral cut he had ever seen. Guess the crowd on the beach forgot to interview the doctor like Wind magazine did.
The one that bit the turtle was a huge tiger shark based on a blurry shot of a fin.
The SUP bite was in an area near the sewage plant avoided by others in part because of dirty water known to harbor aggressive young sharks.
The guy measured that shark by falling on top of it. The bite mark supports his account.
t was 5to 6 ft.reef shark
It has since been reported as a huge tiger shark.

#2 The shark picture at Kanaha - Yes, it was a very large tiger shark but an adult tiger shark is very big period. A ton of people got a very close up look at it -some had smart phone pictures- this makes this sighting very credible when so many agree on the size including the life guards.

#3 The SUP measured the shark based on the size of his board since the shark was swimming right underneath him - yet you downgrade the size by a few feet and someone assumed it was a reef shark - get real, reef sharks do not snack on surf boards.

Bjamin - true your odds of being bitten are very low - but the point was the odds "were" a hell of a lot lower until frequent sightings, and bitings started happening. Yea, the odds are still low, unless you are the one that has the close encounter than your odds feel very fucked with. I still go out often - but now dread it when i am in swimming mode on the outer reefs.

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